Designs have been proposed for containers used with flowable substances wherein a closure is provided for being attached to the container mouth and wherein the closure includes a flip-up spout or nozzle assembly for dispensing the container contents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,501, 4,645,086 and 3,516,581.
The closures disclosed in the above-referenced patents require that the operator push down on a top, rear portion of the closure in order to pivot the closure to the dispensing orientation. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,460 discloses a closure in which a tiltable actuator is mounted within a rotatable collar, and rotation of the collar operates through a cam ring to tilt the actuator between the closed and open positions.
While the tiltable actuator within a rotatable collar as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,460 may function generally satisfactorily for the purpose for which it was designed, it would be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure with structural and operational advantages.
Specifically, it would be desirable to provide a cam drive system that could be located in a relatively small region of the closure and that would not require extensive circumferential cam tracks around all or most of the closure.
Further, it would be advantageous if the components of such an improved design could be relatively easily manufactured and readily assembled.
Additionally, it would be beneficial if such an improved design could provide a "high-style" exterior configuration substantially free from functional details and instructional nomenclature or indicia.
Finally, it would be desirable to provide an improved design which would accommodate the torque encountered during application of the closure to a container in an automatic, high-speed, capping machine or encountered during use of the closure by a person who may inadvertently or intentionally apply an unusually high torque to the closure.
The present invention provides an improved closure which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.